> Dear All, > > The HCI group, Napier University, are currently involved in producing a > proposal for a research cluster under the AHRB/EPSRC -Designing for the > 21st Century initiative. Our proposal is almost complete but we are still > looking for members for our cluster. If you are interested in being a > member of this cluster, please can you submit an expression of interest to > us in the form of a letter of support to the address at the end of this > email. We will in turn include your name and organisation in the proposal; > you will be registered as a member of the cluster and will be contacted > about forth coming events should the proposal be successful. > > The deadline for our proposal submission is 30th of June so we need > responses quickly. Preferably before the 25th. > > An outline of the cluster's aims and activities are given below. > > Best wishes > > Shaleph O'Neill > > > Semiotics and the Design of Interactive Media Systems - A Designing for > the 21st Century Research Cluster > Summary > Semiotics has long been used in various media and design disciplines as a > powerful theoretical tool for understanding the communication of meaning > through the use of sign systems. Design in the 21st century, however, is > about the design of new media; media that are interactive. The aim of this > research cluster is to explore the relationships between semiotic theories > and new interactive media that encourage new ways of thinking about design > across a new multi-disciplinary network of researchers practitioners and > educators. New media means new interactions in both personal and ambient > space. This research cluster will explore the semiotic theories that exist > in many design domains -from product design and architecture through to > computer semiotics and interaction design - in relation to the development > of semiotic theory that is specifically suitable for use in the design of > contemporary and future digital media. It addresses issues described in > the 'People Working in Design' heading proposed by the AHRB and EPSRC > cluster initiative, with some overlap into the other areas. The outcome > will be an understanding of the role semiotics has to play in the design > of interactive systems for the 21st Century and a road map for its further > exploration. > Cluster Activities > Workshop 1, January-February: The focus of the this workshop will be on > establishing the theoretical basis for how semiotics is understood and > used across the interactive media design community as a whole, trying to > find common ground across the various semiotic approaches that already > exist. Establishing the areas and theories that are most relevant to the > community as a whole. > > Workshop 2, March-April: This workshop will concentrate on issues that > have arisen out of the previous theory workshop. In particular it will > focus on the use of semiotic analysis techniques as used in HCI research > and the design community, opening up the discussion about how and why they > are useful, and what particular strengths semiotics might have over other > analysis techniques. > > Workshop 3, May-June: An important part of this workshop will be an actual > design session, where groups of theorists and designers will build > prototypes of an interactive system using semiotic theory as the > grounding. Here the discussion might be about the strengths and weaknesses > of different semiotic approaches to design and the level of detail > required from the theory used. > > Summer School, July-September: A three-day residential summer school will > take place near Edinburgh and will be organized by Napier University. The > aim will be to discuss the work of the cluster so far developing proposals > for a research agenda for further work. Discussion will be based on > position papers on the future directions of semiotic theory and > interaction design research. With a view to building on what has been > developed within the cluster and identifying where semiotic theory and > interaction with new digital technology meet to produce an interesting and > rich research agenda. This is important for assessing the work of the > cluster before reporting at the cluster conference in October as well as > moving towards further work and connections beyond the cluster to develop > the community. > > > > > Shaleph O'Neill > The HCI Group > School of Computing > Napier University > Edinburgh, EH10 5DT > +44 0131 455 2699 > s.o'[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ------------------------------------------------- a m b i t : networking media arts in scotland post: [EMAIL PROTECTED] archive: http://www.mediascot.org/ambit info: send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and write "info ambit" in the message body -------------------------------------------------
